A flight student was killed and an instructor was injured Wednesday night in a collision between two small planes at Compton/Woodley Airport.

The instructor and student were manning a Cessna 152, which belonged to the Long Beach Flying Club and was landing in Compton as a part of a flight school session, officials at the club confirmed.

Though the identity of the person who died was not released, the victim was described as a man in his 40s, said the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s office.

The collision at the airport on 901 West Alondra Boulevard in Compton was reported about 6:55 p.m., according to the Compton Fire Department, which responded to the call. The crash involved the Cessna and a second plane, identified as a single-engine North American T28, a model used for military training, which was manned only by the pilot, said Ian Gregor, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. According to FAA records, the T28 is registered to the Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum, which operates at the airport.

First to land on the airstrip was the Cessna, with the T28 following behind, Gregor said. When the T28 was landing, it ran into the Cessna, which was still on the runway with the instructor and student inside, causing the Cessna to explode.

Fire officials found two people lying on the airstrip, about 50 feet away from the burning Cessna, fire officials said. They believe both people were ejected from the Cessna upon impact. One man was pronounced dead at the scene while the second person was conscious and speaking and transported to a local hospital in unknown condition.

The deceased and the injured individuals were identified as members of the Long Beach Flying Club by officials at the club. The condition of the T28 pilot was not known.

The Compton/Woodley Airport does not have a control tower to sort out communication between airplanes, according to aeronautical charts.

In airports without a tower, it’s up to the pilots to see each other and avoid, said Robert Katz, an active commercial pilot and flight instructor who once worked in Southern California.

“See and avoid — it’s very similar to defensive driving in an automobile” Katz said.

Pilots are supposed to rely on radio frequencies to communicate their location, altitude, and what maneuver they intend to do, Katz said.

“It’s what I call a free for all,” Katz said of flying in airports without a tower. “It comes with an inherent risk.”

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Officials with the Sheriff’s Department Aero Bureau, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.